WEEDS OF ARABLE LAND 67 



top, and borne on slender stalks. The seed-vessels have 

 been compared in appearance with silver pennies ; they 

 are easily scattered by the wind. Each pod contains 

 about a dozen brownish oval seeds, and an average 

 plant is stated to produce about 20,000 seeds. 1 The 

 flowers appear from May to July or later. The plant 

 has an unpleasant smell when bruised. 



This weed should be persistently hoed out to prevent 

 seeding, and the growth of root or other hoed crops 

 will render this possible and easy. Where the weed is 

 very abundant it should be mown and burnt. Penny 

 Cress is a noxious weed in the Dominion of Canada, 

 and is described as a terrible pest of the farmer in 

 Manitoba and the North-West. It is there known as 

 Stinkweed, on account of its abominable smell. 

 " S-t-i-n-k is a small word with a big meaning, easily 

 understood by any one who has ever handled Stink- 

 weed, or tasted milk or butter from a cow which has 

 eaten it." 2 



In order to eradicate Penny Cress, great care should 

 be taken not to plough under plants with ripe seed- 

 vessels. Where land is infested, an endeavour should 

 be made to encourage germination by means of surface 

 cultivation, proceeding generally to harrow the young 

 plants as described in the case of Charlock (p. 60). 

 Taking three or four years' ley will largely choke out 

 the weed, and any plants which may appear the first 

 year may be cut and destroyed. Should any plants 

 appear in the next cultivated crop, they must be 

 attacked with the hoe, by hand pulling, and by general 

 cultivation. 



Bitter Candytuft (Iberis amara L.) is an annual 

 weed of cornfields, especially on dry chalky soils in the 



1 Bull. 128, Ontario Agricultural College. 



2 Farm Weeds, Dept. of Agric., Ottawa. 



